This invention pertains to the art of feeding devices and more particularly to feeding devices for elongated workpieces.
The invention is particularly applicable to a feeding device for sequentially advancing an elongated workpiece along some predetermined workpath into work communication with a lathe or turning apparatus and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention has broader applications and may be adapted to use in other work or machining environments.
So-called bar feed apparatus for selectively and sequentially advancing elongated workpieces into work communication with lathes or turning machines are known in the art. However, existing ones of these apparatus have had various drawbacks in design, construction or operation which have resulted in less than optimum feed or operational characteristics.
For example, existing bar feed devices have typically required a series of rings or spacers located in the lathe spindle to center and contain the workpiece while being turned in the lathe. These rings or spacers must be changed to accommodate various workpiece diameters and often become lodged in the spindle to thereby render changeover from one ring size to another extremely difficult and time consuming. The rings also unduly restrict processing workpieces having more than some predetermined amount of bow over the lengths thereof and thus require a preliminary step of cutting the workpieces into shorter lengths. This preliminary step causes a loss in production time, increases labor costs and produces two "stub" ends which increase material costs.
It has, therefore, been considered desirable to develop a new and improved workpiece feed device for lathes which would overcome the foregoing problems and thereby enhance or improve efficiency of production for an associated lathe.
The subject invention is believed to meet these needs and others and provide a new and improved workpiece feed device which does not require rings or spacers in the lathe spindle, allows quick and easy changeover from one workpiece size to another and which permits bowed workpieces to be processed without first being cut into smaller lengths. As a result, the subject workpiece feed device has been found to offer a worthwhile savings in material and labor costs over those feed devices heretofore known in the art.